Imagine My Fair Lady goes Bollywood. Now wrap that in a Japanese kimono and dock a decade or so from Eliza’s biological clock and this is what you get.
Lady Maiko is a funny, cheesy, happy-go-lucky musical about a small town girl, Haruko (Mone Kamishiraishi), who travels to Kyoto with the pipe dream of becoming a refined and revered maiko (apprentice geiko) only to have her harsh accent get in the way. You know the rest. It’s at this moment when – by some miracle – a linguistics expert (Professor Kyono) suddenly appears eager to wage a bet that he can transform this rough diamond into a brand-spanking shiny one.
It’s nothing profound. It’s nothing new. But it is the opening movie of this year’s Japanese Film Festival. That’s got to say something, right?
Titled Lady Maiko in English (can you already see the namesake reference?), while it’s true that this carbon copy is miles from life-changing, thought-provoking or original, its greatest merit lies in the fact that it doesn’t claim to be. In fact, the film’s unapologetic demeanor dares to go one step further, embracing its original with open arms in the most fantastically fun way possible. It throws allusions, large and grand, to the musical that inspired it by including a song about “where the heck” the rain in Kyoto falls and drawing emphasis to the sharp, pointy shapes that Haruko’s voice initial makes as it’s recorded and interpreted by Professor Kyono’s recording machine.
While the songs that riddle this movie are bombastically poptastic in all ways possible, it’s the vocals behind – particularly those of Haruko’s – that capture your attention with the intention to send shivers everywhere. Kamishiraishi carries the lead role well, winning the hearts of the audience early with her innocence and tenacity. Her story is a sugar-sweet rollercoaster that has us backing this underdog and wishing her to succeed despite her lack of refinement, even before we’ve secured down the safety bar.
Feel-good and family-friendly, it’s not hard to see why Lady Maiko found pride of place at this year’s festival. Bring the kids, they’re sure to get a kick out of it, too.
4/5 stars
Lady Maiko is showing at the Japanese Film Festival, Thursday November 13 – Sunday November 23.
